State board gets into details of education reform law

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Board of Education has been considering policy changes that reflect the new requirements in Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s comprehensive education reform law.

On Thursday, the board took up reforms to teacher hiring practices. Nine criteria will now be considered when a teacher is hired. One of those criteria involves input from teachers on who gets the job.

However, protections are included in the law for those teachers who are involved in the process. Grievances, or complaints about hires after the fact, cannot be based on the opinions of faculty members alone.

The law states: “This will allow teachers to be meaningfully involved in the hiring recommendation process in an open and honest manner without fear of reprisal, retaliation or coercion and will minimize lost instructional time and classroom disruption.”

West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee said he thinks the wording limits teachers’ ability to file grievances. “To ensure that the procedure is done properly, you have to have that opportunity to file a grievance when the procedure is not done properly,” he said.

Monongalia County Delegate Barbara Fleischauer agreed. “If these are the nine criteria in the hiring practice, you can’t say under the Constitution, or under state law now, that one of them doesn’t count,” she said.

“I just think a grievance process is a basic to our country.”

As required by Tomblin’s education reform bill, the Board of Education has until July 1 to establish a teacher hiring rule. The reforms passed Thursday will take effect at that deadline, which will land during the middle of a 30-day public comment period.

The policy dealing with hiring practices is just one of the changes the state board must make to meet the requirements of the new education reform law.

MetroNews Staff

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Comments

JImJim

Look at the WV starting salary! Look at the starting salary of the states around us. Take what you can get.

June 16, 2013 at 10:11 am |

JoeB

The grievance process ensures continued mediocrity.

June 14, 2013 at 5:57 pm |

js

you have to have a grievance procedure or teachers would get screwed by other teachers. That's just common sense. More types of jobs deserve and need a grievance procedure or people would get fired because they would want to hire their buddy, Now, where is the fairness in that? You're right, there would be none.

June 14, 2013 at 11:17 pm |

Joe

I just don't understand. All of you teachers want to be viewed and treated as professionals. You now have an equal voice in the hiring process. Now you are saying that a grievance procedure is required so the hiring team, teacher input included, are assumed to hire friends/buddies.

So which is it? Are teachers professionals or not?!

Sheesh!

June 16, 2013 at 6:41 am |

N8QQD

Don't count on Mississippi to keep us out of last place! The know-it-nots in Charleston will screw it up even worse than it is now.

June 14, 2013 at 3:43 pm |

Picklebee

It is shameful that the noble goal of school reform in West Virginia for our boys and girls wound up in the hands of the union and Earl Ray. What once was a glimmer of hope quickly faded into the gloom of union control and politicans.
Oh well, there is always Mississippi to keep us out of last place.